Manage your rosacea from the inside out

When it comes to skin issues such as rosacea, don't confuse beauty with health. Focus on caring for your skin from both the inside and outside.

• When the redness of rosacea appears, combine several drops of soothing herbal oils like rose, lavender, and chamomile in a basin of cool water
• Soak a washcloth in the liquid and lay it over your face for 10 minutes
• Repeat as necessary
• These herbs are often used to reduce skin irritation

Stress is a common trigger for rosacea, so practicing stress-reducing deep breathing can help avoid flare-ups.

Learn to breathe from your stomach, so that each breath in is deep enough to expand your abdomen, while each breath out lowers it. When you start to feel the blood rising in your face, practice this form of breathing for three minutes, ideally with your eyes closed.

Fish-oil supplements are rich in anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids. Since rosacea is related to inflammation, these inflammation dampers can help reduce flare-ups.

• Take 1,500 milligrams or less twice a day
• Or try 500 milligrams of evening primrose oil three times a day

Spicy foods, hot liquids, and even aged cheeses can trigger a rosacea flare-up.

Several studies reported in medical journals found that hypnosis can help patients learn to control the flushing of rosacea.

This bacterium is the primary cause of stomach ulcers. However, a growing body of evidence suggests it may also be linked to rosacea. In one study of 44 patients with rosacea and H. pylori infection, completely eradicating the bacteria in 29 of them led to complete or significant improvement in rosacea for 19 patients, or 65 percent.

Just two or three sessions of IPL therapy can make a huge difference in your rosacea. A full treatment can cost between $300 and $600 and may be covered by insurance.

The green helps cover the red. This won't get rid of your rosacea, but it will keep people from asking if you've gotten too much sun lately.

Take this test: After a glass of wine or gin and tonic, look at your face in the mirror. Is it as pink as a glass of rosé? Alcohol dilates blood vessels, and since facial blood vessels are so close to the skin, you get the telltale flush of rosacea.

While it can be easy to become preoccupied with the outward appearance, following these suggestions can help you deal with your rosacea internally as well as externally.